Following my previous post, Kelly and I just saw The Golden Compass at Kennedy School. Well, Kelly had already seen it, but wanted to see it again with me since I’d just finished reading the book.
I enjoyed the film, despite how different it was from the book. There were some things that did bother me; first, the switcheroo they did with Bolvanger and Iorek’s big fight, and second, the fact that they didn’t finish the film with the cliffhanger ending the book had. I suspect they changed things with the assumption that they would reveal those events in the sequel. In fact, I suspect they altered the order of events knowing they weren’t going to wrap things up the same way the book did, and the Bolvanger fight made for a more climactic ending. The film was, however, true enough to the book that even though the order of events (and some of the story) had been altered, it wasn’t disruptive. The casting choices, sets, costumes, and visual style all fit what I saw in my head while reading the book. If anything I was surprised rather than annoyed at the differences.
In the end, I enjoyed The Golden Compass, and I hope the last two books get made. It was no Lord of the Rings, but it was good, and better than 99% of what’s pumped out of Hollywood year after year.
After the movie we suck around Kennedy School for another hour or so, had another beer and some pizza and discussed the movie before heading back home.